Light trucks, such as pickup trucks, are capable of transporting its occupants to various locales for participation in outdoor sports, such as skiing and snowboarding, canoeing, bicycling, fishing, and camping. Cargo racks for carrying various cargo, such as sporting goods, are commonly used on a motor vehicle, including pickup trucks, to enhance the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. The cargo racks enable the vehicle to carrying additional cargo that the vehicle may not otherwise be able to carry. The cargo rack may enable a user to forego stowing relatively long cargo, such as a kayak or boat, in a bed of the truck.
When used in connection with a pickup truck, the cargo rack may extend above the bed of the truck at or above a maximum height of the cab of the truck. The height of these cargo racks typically require the user to work over their head when retrieving or stowing cargo on the rack. This arrangement can make it difficult to load and unload large and/or elongated cargo, such as watercraft, onto or off of the cargo rack. Because the cargo is frequently heavy or awkward to handle, maneuvering and positioning cargo onto the cargo rack can be time consuming and difficult.
In an attempt to provide easier loading and unloading of large and/or elongated cargo onto and off of a cargo rack, various loading arrangements have been developed. Prior cargo rack configurations may include mechanical assist systems that aid in retrieving/stowing equipment and supplies from the cargo rack. Such known loading arrangements may be extremely complex and difficult to manipulate. The complexity of these cargo rack mechanisms tend to drive up the cost of the cargo rack and may result in a cargo rack that is relatively heavy and cumbersome to install and remove from the vehicle. Accordingly, there is a need for a cargo rack system capable of being utilized on a variety of different trucks with different bed designs and lengths. It is desirable that the cargo rack be adjustable to carry different objects at different times on the same truck and cargo rack. It is also desirable that the cargo rack not restrict the use of the bulk of the truck bed and that the rack can be quickly mounted and removed from the vehicle. The cargo rack should also be easy to shift or manipulate for loading and unloading cargo, including elongate cargo, such as watercraft.